Sudbury's 13th confirmed COVID-19 case is in the hospital

Public Health Sudbury and Districts confirmed the area's 13th positive case of COVID-19 and the 11th in Greater Sudbury. (File)

Public Health Sudbury and Districts confirmed the area's 13th positive case of COVID-19 and the 11th in Greater Sudbury.

A woman in her 50s was tested on March 29 and is the first case in the area that has required hospitalization.

It is unknown at this time how the woman became exposed to the virus.

The woman attended the Health Sciences North emergency department on March 29 and was flagged through enhanced screening measures at the emergency department entrance.

She was given a mask to wear upon entering the hospital and was immediately taken to an isolation room where she was cared for and swabbed.

Following testing, she was admitted to HSN's respiratory unit on 6 South.

“I want to commend our staff as they took all necessary precautions and followed standard operating procedures related to infection prevention and control, assessment and testing for this patient. We are fortunate our teams have been preparing for this type of situation and they performed perfectly,” said HSN President Dominic Giroux.

Health Sciences North chief of staff John Fenton assured patients that the hospital continues to be a safe place for people to go to for emergency and urgent care.

“We have policies and procedures in place for infectious disease management that allow us to handle these situations. We continue to be vigilant in following those protocols," said Fenton.

"If you get sick with COVID-19 or are impacted by other health issues, please know that we are well prepared to care for you.”

HSN’s Emergency Department remains open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide urgent and emergency care for patients.

For additional information on changes and measures the hospital has introduced in recent weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.hsnsudbury.ca/covid-19.

Additionally, Public Health has confirmed that one patient who previously tested positive for COVID-19 is now considered resolved according to current public health criteria.

There have now been 13 positive cases of COVID-19 in the area, 11 in Greater Sudbury and two in the Manitoulin District.